Dawson Walking Bear

Dawson Walking Bear was a Federation Starfleet officer, of Comanche descent, on active duty in at least the 23rd century.

He was born in the late 2240s and, as an ensign. was a helmsman on USS Enterprise towards the end of James T. Kirk's first five-year mission as her commanding officer. (TAS: "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth")

However, in The Federation Files: "Walking Bear, Running Wolf" -- set in 2270 -- he is said to have just turned 33 years old, which would make his birth year 2237.

In at least one fan continuity, Walking Bear was the night-watch (i.e., gamma-shift) helmsman as early as 2267. (Orion Press: "The Night Watch")

Walking Bear was a scholar of Earth history, particularly those of the indigenous peoples of North America and South America. During a mission in 2270, he recognized an entity purporting to be Kukulkan, an ancient snake deity of the Mayan people.

Later in the five-year mission, Walking Bear was seen wearing an operations-division uniform. (Star Trek: Phase II: "Going Boldly", "Mind-Sifter (Phase II episode)"; The Federation Files: "Walking Bear, Running Wolf")

After Enterprise's refit in the early 2270s, Walking Bear also served at the helm, though also taught at Starfleet Academy around this time. (Orion Press: Klingons!). When Gretchen Jaeger took the Kobayashi Maru test, he was the helmsman in the simulator. (Orion Press: The Dianasian Gift)

Walking Bear had evidently moved up the ranks quickly, as he was a lieutenant commander in 2277, when Jaeger's flashback took place.

From 2275 to 2283, he transferred to USS Reliant as helmsman under Captain Clark Terrell. (Orion Press: "The Blue Rose")

Walking Bear was executive officer of USS Shenandoah for about a decade, then was posted to command of the Al-Rashid in 2294. (Orion Press: Liberation From Hell, The Dianasian Gift, "Return to Xantharus", Chekov's Enterprise)

In 2293, Walking Bear was one of many Enterprise officers who attended the funeral for James Kirk. (TOS novel: Crucible trilogy: The Fire and the Rose)

Personal life

Walking Bear dated M'Ress when both were assigned to the Enterprise. ("Walking Bear, Running Wolf")

Family

Both of Walking Bear's parents had died by the time he was assigned to the Enterprise. His mother was a Starfleet science officer who served aboard a scoutship. On an expedition, hers was the only one of seven vessels that did not return. ("Walking Bear, Running Wolf")

Officers of the starships Enterprise
	CO	XO	CMO	SCI	ENG	TAC	SEC	HELM	NAV	COMM
NCC-1701:	April Pike Kirk Decker Spock	Pike | Chin-Riley | Spock | Decker | Sulu	April Boyce M'Benga Piper McCoy Chapel	Lucero Spock Chekov Kyle Sonak Decker Saavik	Louvier Hemmer Pelia Scott DeSalle Cleary	Noonien-Singh Sulu Chekov	Noonien-Singh Giotto Freeman Chekov	Chin-Riley Mann Ortegas G. Mitchell H. Sulu Leslie Hadley Kyle DePaul Hansen Spinelli Walking Bear	Tyler | Amin J. Mitchell Kelso Alden | Bailey Farrell | Hadley | Riley Stiles | Latimer | DeSalle Osborne | Painter Chekov | Leslie | Haines Arex | Ilia | DiFalco Saavik	Garison Nicola Christina Shankar Alden Uhura Farrell Hadley Palmer Martine M'Ress
NX-01 | NX-01 (mirror) | NCC-1701 | NCC-1701 (alt) | NCC-1701 (mirror) | NCC-1701-A | NCC-1701-B | NCC-1701-C | NCC-1701-D | NCC-1701-E | NCC-1701-F | NCC-1701-G

Background

Walking Bear was voiced by James Doohan in TAS: "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth". He was portrayed by Wayne W. Johnson in "Going Boldly", "Mind-Sifter", "The Holiest Thing", and "Walking Bear, Running Wolf".

External links

• Star Trek: New Voyages: "Going Boldly" (2012) on Vimeo
• Star Trek: New Voyages: "Going Boldly" (2012) on YouTube
• Star Trek: New Voyages: "Mind-Sifter" (2014) on YouTube
• Star Trek: New Voyages: "The Holiest Thing" (Director's Cut) (2016) on YouTube
• The Federation Files: "Walking Bear, Running Wolf" (2018) on YouTube